Tomorrow morning we’re running our annual high school football preview section. Here’s a sneak peak at the capsules that will be in the paper:

WEST CATHOLIC ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Archbishop Mitty (6-4-1, 5-1-1): Despite having the best WCAL record over the past two seasons, the Monarchs are flying under the radar – and they’re just fine with that. Bobby Marani (6-1, 196) is one of the top defensive backs in the section and also contributes in the backfield, along with RB/DB Joe DeCecco (5-10, 190). QB Andrew Barna has impressed as a thrower and runner after taking over for Cal’s Kyle Boehm. Big seasons are expected out of DE/TE Jason Sutton (5-11, 200) and DE/OL Dion Windom (6-1, 226). Don’t be surprised if sophomore RB Kyle Evans is a well-known name by the end of the season.Continue Reading →

Tomorrow morning we’re running our annual high school football preview section. Here’s a sneak peak at the capsules that will be in the paper:

BLOSSOM VALLEY ATHLETIC LEAGUE
MOUNT HAMILTON DIVISIONIndependence (9-3, 6-1): The 76ers move up a league and face a tough schedule, and they do so after losing a plethora of talent. Senior QB Tony Ulu (5-10, 190) threw for seven touchdowns and ran for seven more last season and will take on greater importance for an offense that lost its four leading rushers. Fernando Villanueva (6-8, 295) is a highly-touted lineman and Aaron Scott (6-3, 215) was the Santa Teresa Division’s linebacker of the year. OL/DL Edgar Cervantes (6-1, 25) and FB/LB Lieo Ulu are talented seniors.Continue Reading →

Byron Marshall spent 20 minutes after practice a couple weeks ago giving interviews, and he occasionally lost his focus. As one of the reporters sitting next to him, I couldn’t blame him one bit.

Out on the field, young Jay MacIntyre was hurling deep passes to a group of receivers. Marshall, the present star at Valley Christian, kept sneaking glances at a player who might be the next one. So did everybody else who was around that day.

Just a sophomore, MacIntyre – the son of SJSU head coach Mike MacIntyre – showed flashes of brilliance during that mid-August practice. But most impressively, he’s improving every day. When I stopped by Valley Christian again last Friday, MacIntyre was light years ahead of where he was just days before.Continue Reading →

Got a release from Comcast today that I figured some of you might be interested in. Comcast Hometown Network will televise 23 high school football games this fall. They’ll be available on Channel 104 on Comcast, and it looks like all of them will be shown a day or a few days after the original game. Here’s a full schedule:Continue Reading →

The first time I saw Leland last season was in the opening round of the playoffs, and the Chargers didn’t disappoint. They won 52-6 that night and got contributions from seemingly every player on the roster. That roster is exactly what sticks out from that game, and makes Leland such a dangerous team entering this season.

As I kept checking the list to see who was contributing, I was surprised to see that virtually every player on the field that night had at least another year of high school left. The quarterback? A junior. The hard-hitting two-way star? A junior. The productive backup running backs? Just sophomores.

Not surprisingly, then, the Chargers are looking at the makings of a special season. Head coach Mike Carrozzo has 17 returning starters, and calls this “one of the most talented teams I’ve ever coached.”Continue Reading →

Los Gatos was 6-4-1 last season and finished tied for second in the De Anza Division. Still, it was a disappointment for the longtime local power.

“We know we weren’t a good football team last season,” head coach Butch Cattolico said. “Garret (Zeiter) kind of carried us through some games, but last year was a very tough year. It was pretty disappointing.”Continue Reading →

The first thing you notice at Westmont is the quarterback. In fact, he’s impossible not to notice.

At 6-foot-8, senior Nicky Wahl easily looks over even his tallest lineman (and that’s not at all because of a lack of size at Westmont). Wahl was the backup last season and had just nine pass attempts, but he’s definitely not just some basketball kid playing football.

During practice Thursday Wahl showed off improving footwork and a very impressive arm. The offense and defense went at each other at the end of practice, and on his first throw Wahl took a perfect three-step drop and fired a bullet to a receiver running an out. He ended the session with a gorgeous 35-yard throw to the back corner of the end zone, which was hauled in by Ian Harvel.Continue Reading →